BJ Watling

New Zealand|Wicketkeeper Batter
BJ Watling
INTL CAREER: 2009 - 2021
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Full Name

Bradley-John Watling

Born

July 09, 1985, Durban, South Africa

Age

40y 28d

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Fielding Position

Wicketkeeper

Playing Role

Wicketkeeper Batter

A gritty right-hand batter and New Zealand's most successful Test wicketkeeper, Bradley-John Watling was born in Durban, South Africa, and moved to New Zealand at age ten. Started as a part-time keeper, he retired in 2021 as a central figure in a golden era for New Zealand, having won the World Test Championship with them.

Watling scored nearly 3400 runs as wicketkeeper - the most by any New Zealander in the role. His 265 dismissals behind the stumps remain a national record, comfortably ahead of Adam Parore's 201, and one unlikely to be broken anytime in the near future.

He played in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup and debuted for Northern Districts soon after. He twice topped 400 runs in his first three first-class seasons, made 509 runs in the state one-day competition in 2008-09, and 352 runs in eight innings in the 2009-10 Plunket Shield. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka the following year, and after Brendon McCullum gave up the gloves in Tests, Watling emerged as the best long-term candidate to become the full-time keeper from 2013.

Unassuming but invaluable, Watling's batting became synonymous with rearguard defiance. He put together 352 with McCullum against India in Wellington in a thrilling draw in 2014. A year later, he added an unbeaten 365 with Kane Williamson against Sri Lanka, the highest sixth-wicket stand in New Zealand's history. In England in 2015, after twin half-centuries at Lord's, Watling's 120 in Leeds secured a series-levelling victory - only the side's fifth Test win in that country.

Later career highlights included a fighting 77 not out off 250 balls in Abu Dhabi to clinch a series victory against Pakistan in 2018, and a series-levelling 105 not out in Colombo in 2019. That same year, he scored a Test career-best 205 against England in Mount Maunganui.

Watling retired after the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021, bowing out with five catches and the trophy. He finished as one of the most respected keepers in the game in the first quarter of the 21st century.

BJ Watling Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests7511716379020537.52889442.6181942982678
ODIs2825257396*24.9183868.3705583200
T20Is54038229.505865.51003030
FC178297361003420538.442260844.381859--45010
List A133125144181145*37.66566873.76828--1073
T20s6760912557524.601152108.940610917363

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests75------------
ODIs28------------
T20Is5------------
FC178-594022/312/3120.004.0629.5000
List A133-000-----000
T20s67------------

BJ Watling T20 Stats

Batting & Fielding

TournamentTeamsMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
CLT20ND7601315321.83105124.760115350

Bowling

TournamentTeamsMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
CLT20ND7------------
Bradley-John Watling

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Test
ODI
T20I

Recent Matches of BJ Watling

MatchBatBowlWktDateGroundFormat
New Zealand vs India1--2c/0s & 3c/0s18-Jun-2021SouthamptonTest # 2425
New Zealand vs England1 & 15*--3c/0s & 0c/0s02-Jun-2021Lord'sTest # 2422
Northern Dis vs Otago0 & 4----03-Apr-2021DunedinFC
Northern Dis vs Wellington8*----27-Mar-2021WellingtonFC
Northern Dis vs Wellington23 & 110/1--18-Mar-2021Mount MaunganuiFC

Photos of BJ Watling

New Zealand's bowling unit (left to right), Matt Henry, Ajaz Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme, pose with the WTC mace
BJ Watling and Kane Williamson soak in the victory
New Zealand's 15 for the WTC final with their prize: (front L to R) Ajaz Patel, BJ Watling, Devon Conway, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Tom Latham, Trent Boult, (back L to R), Will Young, Tom Blundell, Matt Henry, Henry Nicholls, Kyle Jamieson, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme
In his final day in Test cricket, BJ Watling took three catches to go past MS Dhoni on the list of keepers with the most catches
The retiring BJ Watling took a painful blow to the finger on the sixth morning and needed treatment
New Zealand get together after Trent Boult and BJ Watling combine to see the end of Ajinkya Rahane